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Browns fans have hope!

In the wake of the Cincinnati Bengals ranking last among all professional sports franchises by ESPN, it didn't come as a surprise to former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason.

“Don’t you think we’d all be surprised if they weren’t ranked last?" Esiason told the Cincinnat Enquirer. “It’s never going to change. There is no expectation the team is going to win. There never has been. I can’t sugarcoat it."

So, what's the one constant for the Bengals over the years as they repeatedly struggle to compete on a consistent basis and nose-dived to 4-12 last season?

Owner Mike Brown.

“You can have all the money in the world," Esiason said. "You can sock it away in a mattress. But the reason you’re in (the NFL) is because you’re competitive. You want to win. The family has never experienced that."

Bengals fans here have been remarkably quiet. Because Boomer speaks the truth?

Boomer's lips to God's ears...yes indeed, Boomer speaks the truth. Boomer always has a lot to say and Bengals fans seem to get po'd at him for most of it, but I truly don't understand why. He's often (usually? sometimes?) right; plus, it's Boomer Esiason, for goodness' sake. When has the man ever, from the time he was drafted back in '84, not spoken his mind? We Bengals fans should be used to him by now, right????

Bengals fans notoriously wore their jerseys at random times at Ohio State. I famously remember someone wearing a Carson Palmer Pro Bowl jersey on a Tuesday in the spring. (Seriously? Who buys a pro bowl jersey? Ever.) This is precisely the kind of thing I always hated about Cincinnati fans, so maybe their wallowing in self-pity will make them more tolerable.

Anyone gutsy enough to walk around in any sort of Bengals gear after the last 2 decades or so deserves a little respect or at least a little sympathy, right? I'm not much of a numbered jersey wearer myself--wore a borrowed Manning jersey to the Colts game last fall effectively bringing about the Colts' worst home loss of the Manning era. I had an old-style Bengals #14 as a youngster. This jersey was responsible for the disastrous 1978-1980 seasons, and yes it took me 3 full seasons to come to the conclusion that it was all my fault and that I should never, ever wear a Bengals jersey on gameday again.

He's right. You can't expect the players to have a winning mindset if the owners/operators don't have one to begin with. Crap rolls down hill, but so does success. They have to change their attitudes and start expecting the best if they ever want to taste greatness.

Bengals fans notoriously wore their jerseys at random times at Ohio State. I famously remember someone wearing a Carson Palmer Pro Bowl jersey on a Tuesday in the spring. (Seriously? Who buys a pro bowl jersey? Ever.) This is precisely the kind of thing I always hated about Cincinnati fans, so maybe their wallowing in self-pity will make them more tolerable.

To be fair to the Brown dynasty (and the Bengals), their former paterfamilias won some. In Cincinnati, too.